This thing is unstoppable. With the depressed economy, the staggering unemployment, the devastation in Detroit, the increasing gas prices, and an encroaching government, there isn't an analyst on Earth who would have predicted that a mass of people would have paid $65 in advance to take a week-plus vacation burning fossil fuels and rubber while chasing friends on an eight-day, seven-city, 1,176-mile trip from the Midwest to the South.

But that's the HOT ROD Power Tour, and it continues to amaze. This year's 15th running was, once again, the biggest ever.

The margin of gain was not massive, but considering the situation, it was miraculous. We had the most Long Haulers (who drove the entire route with us) ever at 1,342 cars and 2,375 people. The total number of cars registered for all segments of the Tour was 4,571, and we've estimated that the total spectator count visiting the cruise scenes in the seven host cities was 69,000.

We should rebrand this thing as a home-front charity and become media heroes instead of evil hot rodders. Do some quick math and it's easy to see that Power Tour brings about a million bucks a day to the local economies.

For 2009, the cities visited by Power Tour during June 6-13 were Madison, Wisconsin; Racine, Wisconsin; South Bend, Indiana; Mt. Clemens, Michigan; Dayton, Ohio; Somerset, Kentucky; and Bristol, Tennessee.

On the road from city to city, the HOT ROD staff stood on the curbs nearby the coolest roadside scenes and waved in the hot rods as they drove by to collect photos for this story. The 80-plus rides seen here are the result of those efforts; they represent a great sampling of the cars and the stories that join us for the event but are not necessarily a best-of collection. You can see more at www.HOTROD.com, where you can also follow the news to learn more about joining next year's event. Come along and next time one of the cars in these pages could be yours.

The '09 Invasion Plan

Date

Location

City, State

June 6

Alliant Energy Center Kickoff sponsored by Painless Performance

Madison, WI

June 7

Downtown Lakefront

Racine, WI

June 8

St. Joseph County Fairgrounds

South Bend, IN

June 9

{{{Metro}}} Beach Metropark

Mt. Clemens, MI

June 10

University of Dayton Arena

Dayton, OH

June 11

Center for Rural Development

Somerset, KY

June 12-13

Bristol Motor SpeedwayGrand Finale sponsored by NAPA

Bristol, TN

2/71

This lineup was caught rolling through the S-curve at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset, Kentucky, the locale of the Somernites Cruise (see www.somernitescruise.com). The cars include Chris Sanders' '73 Camaro with 383 power, Steve Geary's '70 AMC Rebel Machine on Air Ride, Ron Parsley's LS1-powered '67 Camaro, and Phil Harden's '64 Tempest. Barely seen in the back is Kristin Ricker's '70 Mach 1 (she thinks it's a GM conspiracy), and the camera was mounted to John Fomary's DuPont Flame Orange '57 Chevy.

3/71

Drivers' MeetingThe first-day drivers' meeting was the largest we've seen in 15 years of doing this. The famous HOT ROD rock star bus (sponsored by SEMA Action Network and CARS) was ever-present.

4/71

Morgan Osbaldeston and Kristin MolskiAtlanta, GA'72 Chevy El CaminoThis pair was Twittering from the road as 2Girls1Cammie. They were touring in Morgan's El Camino. Her dad made last year's coverage of the event when his midyear Corvette was being worked on by the GM Motor Medics.

5/71

Larry DoerrSouth Sioux City, NE'66 Dodge ChargerHRM featured the phantom '71 Road Runner wing cars of Gary and Pam Beineke a few years ago, but Larry went the other direction (going older rather than newer than the real wing cars) by creating a phantom out of a 440/four-speed '66 Charger. He has 150 hours in the homemade wing.

6/71

Leonard and Linda DiekerEmporia, KS'32 Ford pickupBy far, the mileage master of Power Tour was Leonard and Linda Dieker's '32 Ford pickup with a Mazda four-cylinder diesel engine that returned 52 mpg. They spent $134.18 on fuel over eight days, paid for by a Power Tour fund that comes from dropping $20 in a coffee can every week between Tours.

7/71

Steve FiskGeorgetown, KY'75 Chrysler ImperialSteve turned his big C-Body into a huge chalkboard and deemed it the Official Chalk Car of the HOT ROD Power Tour. Occasional rain showers made it a clean slate at nearly every stop.

8/71

Dave "The Bartender" EarleSopchoppy, FL'55 ChevyDave isn't a fan of Detroit's infamously bad roads, which killed a shock and shock mount in his vintage-NASCAR-looking ride. The StreetsideAuto.com Medics put it back on the road. This car was also in the "First Cars" story in HOT ROD's Apr. '09 issue-he's owned it since he was 15. It has a 283 and a five-speed and got 20 mpg. You may recall Dave's former Tour car, the '60 Chevy wagon Pig Car.

9/71

Cambridge, WIIt's hard to get a real sense in print of how this event completely overruns every town it touches. You get a little bit of that in this traffic jam shot.

10/71

Racine, WITwo years ago, Power Tour had a massive rainout when it visited the lakefront in Racine, Wisconsin. That's why the event returned to this great town for 2009.

11/71

Cone ManglingThe Painless Performance/Ridetech.com autocross was set up at the very first stop in Madison, Wisconsin, and a number of participants thrashed all sorts of machinery through the cones. Bret Voelkel of Air Ride decided to bring a cone or two along with him in the company's project Velocity Camaro.

12/71

John PattersonWest Bend, WI'70 Chevy Monte CarloJohn had some overheating issues with his Monte in the hills of Tennessee but got help from the StreetsideAuto.com guys.

Jamie and Bob Kouk and Andrew LaydenOttawa, Ontario, Canada'68 Chevy ChevelleThese guys knew how to grab attention with the vinyl graphics job on Jamie's '68 Chevelle. The car has a stock LS1, a 4L60E trans, and 3.31 rear gears that all add up to 27 mpg at 80 mph.

15/71

Staging LanesThis year, we gave hot rodders two chances to drag race (legal chances, that is). The first was at Union Grove, Wisconsin, where plenty of cars lined up after a short rain shower for the drag race portion of the Peak Performance Challenge sponsored by Peak Antifreeze.

16/71

Alan and Cindy Stoh'68 Cadillac De VilleThis was our favorite Slo Touring ride of the event. The big ragtop was riding on air and had a 509ci Cad mill pushing it along. The five-year project was the perfect cruiser.

17/71

Bryan and Mandy HarrisonGreenville, TN'64 Chevy Nova SSThis couple was married in April but waited for Power Tour to take their honeymoon in their street machine.

18/71

Michael HumphreyLapeer, MI'57 OldsmobileTwo years ago, Michael had an engine fire at the Tour stop in Springfield, Illinois, but he's back in action. The hot motor is a '57 Chrysler 392 Hemi to match his '57 Olds. He lost his job but still could not miss out on his third Power Tour.

19/71

Joe and Tami SennKnoxville, IA'25 Ford T roadsterWe always appreciate it when people are willing to endure a level of righteous suffering to go on Tour. This year, we think Joe and Tami earned that in this little go-kart of a rod. Nothing stopped them from smiling all the way.

20/71

Rick and Zack McKellits'73 Dodge Challenger and '70 Dodge Super BeeZack (in the Challenger) built the Go Green, 383-powered '70 Super Bee for his dad, Rick, a lung cancer survivor who never smoked a day in his life. That's a family that's thrilled to be out enjoying life.

The Motor CityDespite the region's economic woes, the cruise scene in Mt. Clemens, Michigan, was the largest of all, with more than 3,500 cars jamming the Metro Park. Power Tour has long outgrown the early days when we'd gather on the downtown streets of Mt. Clemens.

25/71

The Sweepstakes CamaroGarrett Jungeman of Mothers provides instruction on using the PowerBall for Paint with Mothers FX Synwax on the '10 Camaro SS sweepstakes car.

26/71

Mobil 1 Dyno ChallengeMobil 1 was this year's sponsor for the rolling chassis dyno that was on site at every stop. Here, Jim Whitmore's '70 Chevelle hit the rollers in Michigan. The car features a 540ci big-block with Dart heads and a Comp Cams full roller valvetrain. The numbers: 444 hp, 505 lb-ft to the wheels.

27/71

Lost in MichiganSomewhere outside Detroit, we stopped this gang that included Bill Zimmerman from Madison, Wisconsin, in his real '74 SS 454/four-speed El Camino and his pal Craig Hendel from Buffalo, Wisconsin, whom we accidentally called Fred in last year's coverage in his '67 Olds. The '69 Plymouth GTX in House of Kolors Kandy Brandywine belongs to Ron Dalton.

28/71

ididitOn the road out of Mt. Clemens, participants were treated to an overflowing cruise scene and lunch stop at ididit, maker of custom steering columns and components in Tecumseh, Michigan. The truck is company owner Ken Callison's New Again '65 Ford. See the complete makeover at www.ididitinc.com.

29/71

Capri Drive-In, Coldwater, MIThe still-operational Capri Drive-In movie theater (www.capridrive-in.com) was where we spotted Lon and Karen Peterson's '69 Road Runner from Shell Rock, Iowa. This was the couple's seventh Power Tour, and this time they brought friends Ed and Janet Westendorf and their '70 GTO Judge from Waverly, Iowa.

30/71

Allen's Root Beer Drive-In, Coldwater, MIHere are two Oldsmobiles owned by John Muchmore of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was on his sixth trip with us. He bought the '72 4-4-2 in 1981, and it's now on its second resto with a 455 and a five-speed. His brother, Mike, was driving the '67 F-85 with a 330 and a four-speed.

31/71

Marky Mo's Drive-In, Arlington, OhioThese cars belong to brothers Bruce ('55 Chevy) and Ken ('67 Chevelle) Dunton. Two years ago, Power Tour ended early for Bruce when his motor failed in Racine, Wisconsin. Since Racine was back on the schedule this year, the brothers were determined to finish in one piece.

32/71

Rick WilcoxFlint, MI'71 Buick SkylarkThis GSX clone was built by Rick at his own Top Quality Collision in Davison, Michigan. It has a hot 462ci Buick mill and about 500 hp. The car recently underwent a full makeover, and this was its first big trip.

33/71

Pat FreelsIsland, KY'67 Chevy CorvetteArlington, Ohio's ice cream shop was a nice rest for Pat's Vette on its third Power Tour.

34/71

Seen at the Side of the RoadThese two rat trucks belonged to friends Randy Weimer and Allen Frickenschmidt from Lockwood, Missouri. Randy's '41 Chevy sat in the trees for 25 years before he got it for free from a friend and tossed a 350 in it along with a '79 Malibu front clip. Allen's '50 Stude was a swap-meet find that has had 6,000 miles put on it since it was revamped earlier this year.

35/71

Mike and Donna FranksWilliamston, MI'71 Oldsmobile Cutlass SupremeThe Franks enjoyed their third Power Tour in their Olds convertible. The couple has worked for four years to make it painless and reliable, no matter what. The sticker on the quarter-panel tells us they also ran the Peak Performance Challenge.

36/71

Bob and Suzanne MogrenCurrie Village, KS'57 ChevyThis Pro Streeter has been finished for more than 10 years but only had 11,000 miles on it from driving to shows. Bob finally decided a real road trip was in order for the LT4-powered '57. The location is Good Eats 'n Treats in West Liberty, Ohio.

37/71

Lars EkbergMoorsville, NC'57 FordLars escaped tragedy moments before this photograph was shot when he was nearly rear-ended by a sideways-skidding minivan. His '57 is powered by a 390 FE.

38/71

Grimes Field, Urbana, OHThat's Todd and Jill Madary's '08 Pontiac G8 in Ignition Orange from Jackson, Texas; Phil Smith from Indy, Long Hauling in his one-of-633 '93 Camaro pace car with 33,000 original miles; Mothers sales guy and blogger Forrest Tosie and chemist Neisan Marquez in the ZR1 Corvette; and Larry Sorenson of Burlington, Iowa, going all the way in his '02 Collectors Edition Trans Am in Sunfire Yellow.

39/71

Falmouth, KY, Gas StationThese guys travel in a pack each year, and they're all from the Memphis area except for Floridian Randy McGowen in the '36 Auburn boat-tail speedster (that has a 460 Lincoln engine). Dave Brown's '48 Suburban uses a '95 Corvette LT1 and wears PPG Ultra Violet and Sunburst Orange. Tommy Higginbotham runs the '48 Lincoln Continental Club coupe, a unibody car with a grafted-on '85 Town Car front clip and a 502ci big Chevy. The '58 Apache is Phil Croft's. Bob Brown (Dave's brother) has the '46 Ford truck that came from his dad's wrecking yard in 1977, which has been redone three times since then-always staying in the family.

40/71

Eric and Anthony DavenportChesapeake, VA'76 AMC PacerWe love this Pacer stuffed with a 440 Mopar and a Ford 8.8-inch rear with 3.31 gears. Two years ago the cam went flat and ended the trip early, but this time the freshly painted AMC went all the way and ran low 13s at Bristol on the final day.

41/71

Paul and Joe RoachJohnston City, IL'61 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88This father and son set up their bubble Olds with a small-block Chevy and all the comforts of home for their fifth Long Haul. Here's another hot rod getting 20-plus mpg.

42/71

Hi-Road Drive-In Theater, Kenton, OHAl and Julie Ryden stopped at the Hi-Road in their '62 Dodge and were soon joined by another cool wagon, Melvin Champagne's '58 Chevy Nomad. The Chevy uses an LT1, a 4L60E trans, and 3.00 rear gears to knock down 25 mpg, and with a custom 44-gallon gas tank, it hardly ever needs to stop.

43/71

Mike LeverseeKalamazoo, MI'69 Pontiac TempestWe liked the look of this wagon. Mike built the car last year using a 454 Chevy, a Gear Vendors unit, and Hotchkis suspension. The Rat motor knocks down 16 mpg on the highway.

44/71

H.A. Jones Chevrolet-Buick, Cynthiana, KYThis dealership has sadly closed, but it made a great backdrop for this pair that could have likely been seeking service around 1973. The '73 Corvette was driven by Jason Hinklin, whose dad bought it in 1974, and he says it was the first Bloomington Gold-certified car from Minnesota. It now features a Tremec five-speed and a 500hp, 383ci stroker by Jason, who works in the engine shop at Richard Petty Motorsports. The Crew Cab Chevelle is a '71 that Perry Rein of Lebanon, Missouri, bought from the original owner and left bone stock.

45/71

Jesse FisherFond Du Lac, WI'02 Chevy Camaro Z28Jesse went the distance in his LS1 Camaro with a heads/cam/intake combo that was good for 465 hp at the wheels. At the dragstrip, it ran 12.65 at 109 mph.

46/71

PunkyvilleThis private little village near Falmouth, Kentucky, is packed with roadside antiques. It's where we photographed this group of family and friends, including Art and Diana Meyer, who survived the gas tank falling out of their big-block '65 Chevy, and Art's brother, Hank, in the '81 Corvette with a GM 350HO crate engine. Also from the Detroit area is Tim Young, who has owned the '68 J-code 302 Mustang since 1974, the year before he graduated from high school. It now has a 331ci small-block and a handling-oriented suspension.

47/71

Lancaster, Kentucky, Water TowerIt's amazing that Roger Christopher from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is just 44 years old and drives a real steel '32 that he bought 13 years ago and built by himself. He was cruising with Dan Burrill in the '50 Ford F1, and Ran Doherty of Paola, Kansas, also stopped by in his 327/four-speed '55 Chevy.

Stan and Brian LettrichChicago, IL'65 Chevy ChevelleThis family was Long Hauling for the first time with a ZZ4 crate engine and a Tremec five-speed in their Chevelle. Even with 3.73s out back, it was good for 17 mpg. A defunct dealership in Lancaster, Kentucky, was the perfect setting.

50/71

Paul and Justin AndreAurora, CO'69 Oldsmobile 4-4-2This father-and-son team drove all the way from Colorado to do the Long Haul in their '69 Olds 4-4-2 that Paul says is one of 247 W-32 cars.

51/71

The New CamarosThere were lots of '10 Camaros on this year's road trip, but by the time we realized it and tried to round them all up for a photo, we only came up with four. They are: Christel Walker's yellow and black V-6 from Terre Haute, Indiana; Al and Janet Boyer's red RS that was delivered in Muskegon, Michigan, the Friday before Power Tour; Pat Flaherty's black SS from Annapolis, Maryland; and Gib and Tammy Loudon's yellow and white car from Millington, Michigan.

52/71

The Racing Lawn MowerShean Barney searched high and low over two days to find Justin Heath, who joined Power Tour for the second time. Justin is suffering from a malignant glioma and despite his condition came on Power Tour again in 2009. He was joined by his son, Bailey, and stepfather, Earl Branson, with help from Bikerswhocare.org. Here, Bobby Cleveland shows Justin his championship-winning Sta-Bil-sponsored ride.

53/71

Darrell and Kim FlanneryParis, KY'72 Dodge ChargerThis Mopar caught our eye with its perfect stance on 18x9s and 18x12s with 255/45R18s and 295/55R18s. The Light Gun Metal Metallic B-Body is otherwise stock, right down to the 318 mill. The couple hopes for a late-model Hemi swap.

54/71

Barbourville, KYThis group of friends came from the Orlando, Florida, area. Included are Steve Hodge Long Hauling for the fourth time in his 351W-powered '56 F-100, Glenn and Stephanie Winston in their '07 Shelby Mustang GT, Bill McCarley in the '55 Chevy Handyman, and Jimmy and Ken Lundrigan in a Sunset Orange Metallic '68 Firebird with a three-deuce 428 and a five-speed. The Firebird's engine scattered just a month earlier, but the father and son rammed it back together and threw in a new interior in time for the road trip.

55/71

Bristol DragsOur second drag race was an open grudge meet that ran for hours at the very last stop in Bristol, Tennessee. The lanes were often filled with a huge variety of iron like this but moved quickly.

56/71

Thunder ValleyThis view from atop the hillside adjacent to Bristol Dragway shows roughly half of the cars that filled the valley when Power Tour came to town for the Grand Finale Cruise Night sponsored by NAPA.

57/71

Bristol Motor SpeedwayOne of the highlights for many participants was a chance to make a lap on Bristol's half-mile oval. About 375 cars made a $25 donation to the Speedway Children's Charity fund to take a blast on the banks.

58/71

Bob PerrineTully, NY'56 ChevyBob is shooting for the HRM trifecta: the Top Speed Challenge, Power Tour, and Drag Week. He's already knocked down the first two, and his '56 can be seen in our Aug. '09 issue in the TSC coverage. The car uses a Dart 400ci small-block, a TKO-600 trans, and 4.33 rear gears. He was having shifting trouble at the drags and plans to add an automatic before Drag Week.

59/71

The Cherry BomberCherry Bomb brought what may be our favorite corporate project vehicle of all time, a Dodge Stepside loaded with 528ci crate Hemi power and a six-speed, plus functional zoomies that shake with every lope of the Elephant. It smokes the whitewall slicks nicely.

60/71

Charlie LillardWoodland, CA'69 Chevy CamaroCharlie is in the habit of owning and driving all the latest Mark Stielow-built icons, and the Jackass '69 Camaro, featured last month, was the latest to hit Power Tour. Its factory LS9 mill ran a traction-limited e.t. but a big mph: 12.61 at 119.

61/71

Clint ClousingMilwaukee, WI'77 Pontiac LeMansClint and his friend Adam Harder decided it would be fun to chase Trans Ams with a Buford T. Justice cop-car clone. Clint found a '77 LeMans sedan with 16,000 original miles on it, and it was even the right color. He built a 495ci Pontiac stroker with Edelbrock heads and a 700-R4 trans and hit the road for the Bandit Run and Power Tour back to back. At the dragstrip, the big cop wagon went 13.91 at 97 mph.

62/71

Dominic PalazzoloClinton Township, MI'65 Mercury Comet 404Dominic bought this Comet in 2000 when he was 15 years old. It had a six-cylinder in it back then, but that was trashed for an EFI 347 small-block, a five-speed trans, a disc-braked Explorer 8.8-inch rear, and Granada discs up front. It gets 20 mpg. We liked the killer stance on Halibrand Cobra III 18-inch wheels.

63/71

Chuck LewisThe Alabama Gang'69 Chevy CamaroThe Alabama Gang is a crew from that Southern state that often shows up on Power Tour. Among 'em is Chuck Lewis, who normally drives a flamed Stingray but who borrowed his wife's convertible '69 Camaro this time.

64/71

Lane StroikCentral WIAriel AtomLast year's coverage included a shot of Lane's Ariel Atom cruising in the rain. This year, the little 1,300-pounder with its blown Ecotec four-banger came back with a new paint job and ran 12.77 at 114 mph at the dragstrip after Long Hauling the Tour.

65/71

Todd VermilyeaDickson, TN'66 Chevy ChevelleTodd can tell this story: "We were traveling along the Cumberland Parkway 30 miles from our destination when a 69-year-old lady who was rushing to the hospital to see her sick husband came flying by at about 80 mph in the fast lane with the rain pouring down on us. She hydroplaned at my front fender and started spinning." The picture tells the rest of the story.

66/71

Kenny SchafferBeloit, KS'69 Plymouth Road RunnerWe got this cool tunnel shot just as the Power Tour was reaching its final destination at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kenny bought this car in 1985, had it restored in 2001, and has put 38,000 miles on it since then.

67/71

Ohio Caverns This WayOhio Caverns is the largest in the state; see www.ohiocaverns.com. Headed that direction are Jake Stelter in his '67 Chevelle with a Dart 400ci small-block and Jim Chestnutt in his '67 Camaro with a reworked 502 Rat motor making 597 hp and cruising easy, thanks to 3.55s and a Gear Vendors unit. Both guys hail from Appleton, Wisconsin.

68/71

Mothers ShootoutThis showdown of the '67 El Camino versus a new ZR1 Corvette was a Mothers versus Mothers comparo, as both were company cars. The Elky shamed the Corvette, running 12.79 to the ZR1's 13.29 (the Vette should have been at least in the low 12s).

69/71

Peak Performance ChallengeThe Peak Performance Challenge included more than 100 participants in a contest of consistency at the dragstrip and autocross, but only three got on the podium at the Racine Cruise Night. From left to right, Brett Voelkel of Air Ride Technologies, Dennis Overholser of Painless Performance, Charles Hamlin (Third Place), Brian Bohlander of Peak Antifreeze, Scott Meyer (Peak Performance Challenge champion), Tim Coon (Second Place), and coemcee Clarence Barnes.

70/71

Winner of the '10 Camaro SSOne of the huge attractions of this year's Power Tour was the sweepstakes for the new six-speed, HOT ROD red Camaro that the magazine gave away to one lucky winner in an online and on-site contest. The winner was Ronald Senior, shown here, who was a passenger of Long Hauler David LaChapelle from Westerly, Rhode Island. These Long Haulers drove David's '79 Trans Am on tour, and they'll be back next year. Congratulations, Ronald. You owe David big time. The Camaro SS is engineered by GM Performance Division.

71/71

The Long Haul GangThe 15th Annual Power Tour, Presented by GM Performance Division, ended on Saturday, June 13, in the grandstands at Bristol Motor Speedway, where a record 2,375 people gathered to celebrate their incredible journey, collect their parting gifts, and, of course, pose for the ritual Long Haul photo. See you all again next year.

Online CoverageHOTROD.com featured daily reports from the road, including still photos and action videos that are still available for viewing. Also, go to www.flickr.com and search Power Tour 2009. We found nearly 500 separate user galleries covering the event. There were several hundred images at www.photobucket.com and a dozen or more videos at www.youtube.com, too. Here are just a few of the other websites that had '09 Power Tour coverage live as of press time.